The Diamond Mine

Started by karlhenning, March 17, 2009, 04:28:06 AM

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Dundonnell

Diamond is not the only very distinguished American composer of his generation not yet to have a thread of his own here. Roy Harris, Walter Piston, George Rochberg, Virgil Thomson, Paul Creston are all equally awaiting that great honour ;D

I too lament the fact that after the revival in the 1990s Diamond's death seems to have led to to a (temporary, I hope) dropping-off of interest in his music. Delos did a lot for Diamond, recording the Symphonies Nos. 1-4 and No.8, the Second Violin Concerto and a number of other orchestral and concertante works together, inexplicably and (I venture to suggest) disgracefully, with the Adagio from the Symphony No.11-an almost Brucknerian slow movement which makes one yearn to hear the whole work properly! The Symphony No.5 was recorded by the Julliard Orchestra. Once again we are in debt to the enterprise of Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle SO-Schwarz may
have a difficult relationship with the orchestras he has conducted but his work on behalf of American composers is comparable to that of the late Vernon Handley and Richard Hickox in Great Britain.

I agree that Diamond was a composer of considerable substance and that the symphonic cycle of 11 symphonies is right up there with the best of American symphonies. But we really need to be able to hear Nos. 6, 7, 9, 10 and all of No.11 to be able to evaluate them properly. There is a power, freshness and melodic attractiveness, combined with a Stravinskyesque energy and a sort of Gallic sensitivity(he studied with Nadia Boulanger) in the best of Diamond which certainly appeals to me.

Dundonnell

#21
Quote from: Mn Dave on March 17, 2009, 08:27:38 AM
No, sir. No, I'm not.

;D

Ok, well, whatever.....but it was swell of you to delete the image anyway :) 'Swell'...is that the right word? ;D

(Actually...Diamond himself might have appreciated the picture.....but we won't go there ::))

springrite

Quote from: Dundonnell on March 17, 2009, 08:37:00 AM
Ok, well, whatever.....but it was swell of you to delete the image anyway :) 'Swell'...is that the right word? ;D

Well, let's not elongate his ego any further. ;)
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

karlhenning

Quote from: Dundonnell on March 17, 2009, 08:37:00 AM
Ok, well, whatever.....but it was swell of you to delete the image anyway :) 'Swell'...is that the right word? ;D

I await Dave's ruling as a Midwesterner.  I've never heard that expression in actual use, meself  8)

Dr. Dread

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 17, 2009, 09:37:53 AM
I await Dave's ruling as a Midwesterner.  I've never heard that expression in actual use, meself  8)

You've never heard someone say, "That's swell!" Not even on TV?  ???

karlhenning

On TV, I didn't consider "actual use" for purposes of that post.  Never heard it said (other than, say, in reference to My Three Sons) by a living soul.

Dr. Dread

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 17, 2009, 09:43:04 AM
On TV, I didn't consider "actual use" for purposes of that post.  Never heard it said (other than, say, in reference to My Three Sons) by a living soul.

I think they said it in the '30s here in the US. :) It has just made its way to Scotland. ;)

springrite

Quote from: Mn Dave on March 17, 2009, 09:40:59 AM
You've never heard someone say, "That's swell!" Not even on TV?  ???

Karl lives in New England, where people don't watch as much TV and when they do, what is said on TV does not really influence their lives as much... UNLESS, of course, it is said by Cliff on Cheers.

Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

Dr. Dread

Quote from: springrite on March 17, 2009, 09:47:43 AM
Karl lives in New England, where people don't watch as much TV...


::)

karlhenning

Quote from: springrite on March 17, 2009, 09:47:43 AM
Karl lives in New England, where people don't watch as much TV and when they do, what is said on TV does not really influence their lives as much... UNLESS, of course, it is said by Cliff on Cheers.

Cheers was before my time here in N.E.

(Another show I somehow never watched . . . .)

Dr. Dread

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 17, 2009, 10:01:58 AM
Cheers was before my time here in N.E.

(Another show I somehow never watched . . . .)

For the record, I'm not much of a TV-viewer myself. No! Really!!!

ChamberNut

Quote from: Mn Dave on March 17, 2009, 10:05:05 AM
For the record, I'm not much of a TV-viewer myself. No! Really!!!

I'm not anymore either.  In fact, I've considered giving the TV up altogether.  Not sure if the better half or my stepson will let me go that far though.  ;D

snyprrr

Isn't sym. no4 the one with the kind of "tropical" sounding first mvmt?  Very nice. It's the shorter of the two on the Naxos.

Dundonnell

Please forgive me for being the cause of this thread being totally derailed by a discussion of American linguistic idiom ;D

It's just that I seem to remember from the deepest recesses of my memory a fragment of a popular song with the line which went something like "...what a swell party this is"??

Dr. Dread

Quote from: Dundonnell on March 17, 2009, 05:53:31 PM
Please forgive me for being the cause of this thread being totally derailed by a discussion of American linguistic idiom ;D

It's just that I seem to remember from the deepest recesses of my memory a fragment of a popular song with the line which went something like "...what a swell party this is"??

Apology accepted.

"Thou Swell"

From A Connecticut Yankee 1927 AND A Connecticut Yankee (Revival)
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, music by Richard Rodgers

He:

   Babe, we are well met,
   As in a spell met,
   I lift my helmet,
   Sandy; You're just dandy.
   For just this here lad.
   You're such a fistfull.
   My eyes are mistful,
   Are you too wistful to care,
   Do say you care to say;
   "Come near lad."
   You are so graceful,
   have you wings?
   You have a face full of nice things;
   You have no speaking voice, dear,
   With ev'ry word it sings

Refrain:

   Thou swell! Thou witty!
   Thou sweet! Thou grand!
   Wouldst kiss me pretty?
   Wouldst hold my hand?
   Both thine eyes are cute too;
   What they do to me.
   Hear me holler I choose a Sweet lollapaloosa in thee.
   I'd feel so rich in a hut for two;
   Two rooms and a kitchen I'm sure would do;
   Give me just a plot of,
   Not a lot of land,
   And Thou swell! Thou Witty! Thou Grand!


She:

    Thy words are queer, Sir,
    Unto mine ear, Sir,
    Yet thou'rt a dear, Sir, to me;
    Thou could'st woo me;
    Now could'st though try, knight.
    I'd murmur "Swell", too,
    And like it well too;
    More thou wilt tell to Sandy.
    Thou art dandy;
    Now art though my knight.
    Thine arms are martial;
    Thou hast grace;
    My cheek is partial to they face;
    And if they lips grow weary,
    Mine are resting place.

Refrain:

   Thou swell! Thou witty!
   Thou sweet! Thou grand!
   Wouldst kiss me pretty?
   Wouldst hold my hand?
   Both thine eyes are cute too;
   What they do to me.
   Hear me holler I choose a Sweet lollapaloosa in thee.
   I'd feel so rich in a hut for two;
   Two rooms and a kitchen I'm sure would do;
   Give me just a plot of,
   Not a lot of land,
   And Thou swell! Thou Witty! Thou Grand!


Dundonnell


Dundonnell

#36
(David Diamond....Please forgive me! We shall return to you!)

Found it:-

What A Swell Party This Is lyrics

Artist - Cole Porter
Album - Various Songs
Lyrics - What A Swell Party This Is





Have you heard, amoung this clan
I am called 'The forgotten man'?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

Have you heard the story of
A boy, a girl , urequitted love?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

What frills, what frocks!
What furs, what rocks!
What gaiety!
It's all to exquis!
That French champagne!
So good for the brain!
That bands, it's the end!
Kindly don't fall down my friend.

Have you heard? Professor Munch
Ate his wife and divorced his lunch.
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

Have you heard? The countess Krupp
Crossed the bridge when the bridge was up.
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

Have you heard that Mimsie Starr
Just got pinched in the Astor bar?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

Have you heard that Uncle Newt
Forgot to open his parachute?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

It's great, it's grand!
It's wonderland!
What soup, what fish!
That beef, what a dish!
That grouse, so rare!
That aged camembert!
That bab au rhum!
Will you please move over chum?

Have you heard that dear old Blanch
Got run down by an avalanche?
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

Have you heard? It's in the stars,
Next July we collide with Mars!
Well, did you evah?
What a swell party this is!

What a swellagent, elagent party this is!


karlhenning

Quote from: snyprrr on March 17, 2009, 05:34:21 PM
Isn't sym. no4 the one with the kind of "tropical" sounding first mvmt?  Very nice. It's the shorter of the two on the Naxos.

Diamond and Sessions . . . must get around to actually listening to the music . . . .

Dundonnell

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on March 18, 2009, 05:02:03 AM
Diamond and Sessions . . . must get around to actually listening to the music . . . .

You should :) Forget all this Stravinsky and get to it ;D

vandermolen

Together with Copland, Diamond is my favourite American composer - especially symphonies 2,3 and 4, all of which are marvellous works. I feel that he should be much better known. These works are well crafted, eloquent and often moving (as in slow movement of Symphony No 3).
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).